Navigating Parenting, Marriage and more with MS

Tag: Daith

I have a multitude of health issues, one of them is at least 4 different types of migraines and headaches. I get migraines, the typical type, abdominal (those ones are weird), tension headaches, weather induced migraines from pressure changes typically from storms, cluster headaches and so on.

After much thought and investigating I decided to get my daith pierced, it’s a piece of cartilage in your ear. It is suggested to get it on the opposite side of where your migraines typically occur. For me, my pain is always on the left side of my head, so I got my right ear pierced in the daith area. Some research suggested that it only helps with food related migraines as it is a pressure point for the same, so I was not going to get it originally. Then I realized, I may have food triggered migraines and just not know it because I get about five a week. The only way to be sure is an elimination diet, and let me tell you right now, that will NEVER happen. With my luck multiple foods I love would show to be causing my migraines and then I would have to cry in a corner for weeks.

I went to get the piercing at a tattoo place that I had been to for three of my tattoos and they do piercings with medical grade steel pieces, which means clean and less likely to cause a reaction (I am allergic to medical staples so who knows). The first hole did not hurt at all, the second hole, in the thicker part of the cartilage hurt like hell, but only for a moment and then there was a pleasant feeling that was like pressure was released from my head.

I got the piercing on February 26th, it has been one week now and I have had NO headaches of any kind since (knock on wood). We even got a storm this weekend and I did not get the typical pressure related migraine several days before the storm hit. It is swollen, and when I accidentally sleep on that side it hurts in the morning. It can take up to a year to heal, for “normal” people it is 3-6 months but I am immune compromised and my body takes so much longer to heal then when I was younger.

I will continue to clean my piercing twice a day with a wound cleaning solution from the first aid section of any store. I will ice it with a clean cloth when the swelling really bothers me. I will hope that the piercing continues to help me with headaches and migraines.

Is there scientific proof? No, but I have suffered migraines and headaches since I was at least 7 years old. I am tired of all the medications and pain. If it helps, awesome! If it does not continue to help, I can either have a nifty piercing or have it removed and let it heal.

If you have a health issues like me though, Multiple Sclerosis, and you are required to get yearly MRIs, just know, you will need to time it so you have enough time to heal. You will also need to go back and have them remove it temporarily before you can get your MRI and then after you’ve done it to put it back in. It is metal after all and I can’t imagine that would feel great busting out of the side of your head.